The subject of this image, Mary as Mother of Mercy (Mater Misericordiae), enfolding Christians under her mantle of protection, is a favorite of iconographers and painters throughout Church history, and was especially popular in the late middle ages and early renaissance periods. Also known as Our Lady of Ransom in some places, this image is often used and promoted by the Mercedarian Order, whose official title is the Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives.